ROLE OF PRINCIPALS IN SCHOOL QUALITY ASSURANCE IN DKI JAKARTA

By:
1
Nina Anggraeni, 2Aan Komariah, 3Taufani C Kurniatun, 4Danny Meirawan,
1
ninaanggraeni198@gmail.com, 2aan_komariah@upi.edu, 3dannymeirawan@upi.edu,
4
taufani@upi.edu
Educational Administration Program Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

ABSTRACT

This research aims to determine the role of Principals in quality assurance in Vocational High
Schools in DKI Jakarta. The research method used qualitative approach conducted by interview
and focus group discussion. Results of this research show that Principals as the driving key in
implementing quality assurance program at schools. By a strong and consistent leadership, there
will be optimal quality assurance program at school. Principals encourage school to implement
quality assurance program through communication skills vertically and horizontally,
accommodate teachers’ aspirations, provide supervision to teachers, implement supervision
functions on all school aspects, evaluate achievement of school programs and work targets which
must be completed by teachers, have clarity of work direction, have ability to develop
cooperation in teams and appreciate reliable team strength.

Keywords: Principals, School Quality, Quality Assurance

A. INTRODUCTION
Urgency of human resource development is to strengthen existence of vocational
education. Vocational high school (SMK) is a unit of vocational education in the level of
secondary preparing students to be able to work directly after graduating. However currently,
SMKs in Indonesia still face a number of problems, among others are level of graduate
absorption in work field. According to Herawan, E. & Suryadi, (2019), there is a symptom of
”mismatch” between SMK and industrial and business worlds so ultimately it leads to “under
qualified” graduates. Related to this issue, SMK is required to implement quality management
in its implementation so SMK graduates can solve unemployment problem so that its
graduates have competence based on requirement of industrial world.
There are a number of efforts taken by school to implement quality management among
others by quality assurance. One of the areas having the most SMK with international quality
certification is DKI Jakarta. This can indicate the practices of SMK quality assurance taken by
many schools in DKI Jakarta. One of the school quality indicators can also be seen from mean
of UN (Final Test) score. The mean of UN score of SMK students in DKI Jakarta in 2015
until 2019 can be seen in the following diagram:

Source: https://hasilun.puspendik.kemdikbud.go.id/
Diagram. 1. Recapitulation of National Test Mean Score in SMK Level
in DKI Jakarta Province in 2015-2019
It can be seen from the diagram above that at the SMK level in Jakarta, the UN mean
score has declined at the SMK level in 2015-2019. The declined UN scores is an indication
for ineffective and not optimal learning process so it resulted in a decrease in the quality of
education at schools. In the implementation of quality assurance, Principal leadership is the
main key in driving the school quality assurance program.
Appropriate Principal leadership style leads to positive effects in setting goals and
achieving school quality. Leadership contributes to teamwork through planning in order to
establish responsibilities and tasks, allocate resources, explain work and set goals and
performance standards, monitor to control work implementation and finally lead to problem
solving. (Yukl, 2005).
By applying quality assurance programs continuously by the principals, it is expected to
be a major factor in achieving school quality. Principal serves as a very important driving
sector, because if not strong enough and inconsistent leadership will result in a less than
optimal quality assurance program at schools. There are already a number of studies on the
role of principals in the context of quality assurance, however related to the condition of state
vocational schools in DKI Jakarta, it has not been done much so that this research ca serve as
an important research.
B. THEORITICAL STUDY
Concept of School Quality
The quality of education is influenced by several factors including school facilities and
infrastructure, parental contributions and technology application in the education. School
quality is defined as school ability to manage components related to schools operationally and
efficiently, so that it can produce added value according to prevailing norms or standards.
School quality is the ability of education system which is directed effectively to increase
added value of input factors in order to produce the possible highest output. School quality
can also be seen as a process that gives effects on students and their ability to learn (Ace
Suryadi, & H.A.R. Tilaar, 1994; Tao, 2010)
School quality indicators are influenced by several things, including customer focus,
leadership, involvement of all parties, process approach, management system approach,
continuous improvement, actual approach to decision making, and relationship between
suppliers that are mutually beneficial (Sallis, 2010).

Principal Leadership
Principal leadership has effects on teachers and student achievement. Leadership
behavior gives effects on student achievement in a positive way by providing supervision to
teachers, listening, supporting, facilitating what the teacher needs; this will ultimately increase
student achievement. This is influenced by effective principal leadership, democratic
leadership style, and principal behavior. (Soehner, David Ryan, 2012).
Principals having high effectiveness are seen as a strategy for initiating, implementing
and maintaining school success in achieving quality education. Principal is expected to always
encourage and has ability to develop school vision and empower all stakeholders to develop
and maintain any necessary conditions to achieve school success. For this reason, leadership
tasks in teaching and learning activities in schools develop into the main task or role for
principals (Stronge, J., dkk, 2013; Yusup, 2014).

Vocational High Schools

Vocational secondary education is education designed to develop skills, abilities and
understanding, attitudes and work habits so that vocational graduates are well-prepared to
enter job markets. To be able to enter employment, vocational school graduates should have
skills consisting of mental attitude, knowledge, skills and other skills. Vocational School as a
formal educational institution that educates students to enter workforce will certainly adjust
their learning with any necessary qualifications by industry to have work readiness to compete
in business and industrial world or to become entrepreneurs. Work readiness is a process of
achieving goals involving student learning efforts consisting of attitudes, values, knowledge
and skills (Awaludin Baiti Ahmad, & Sudji Munadi, 2014; Zamzam, 2012).

C. RESEARCH METHOD
The research method used in this research is qualitative research with data collection
using interviews and focus group discussions. The selected respondents are individuals who
have social interactions, can influence each other, produce information, have similarities in
terms of individual characteristics in general, the existence of similar social status, the
similarity of issues or problems, and the similarity of social relationships. Respondents’
interview and focus group discussions in this study are conducted according to the following
criteria:
1. Principals in charge of State Vocational School in DKI Jakarta
2. Teachers who work in State Vocational Schools in DKI Jakarta
3. Chairperson or representative of DKI Jakarta LPMP employees
4. Education Office Division in DKI Jakarta
5. Willing to participate in research after getting an explanation of what will be done
and willing to take part in interviews and focus group discussions.
Location of the data collection in the form of interviews was conducted at the
respective assignment location of the respondents, and location of the focus group
discussion was conducted at one of the State Vocational Schools in Jakarta.
The guidelines in the interview and focus group discussion are as follows,
Table 1
Role of Principal Leadership
No Statements
1. In every meeting, Principals always want teachers to implement teaching and learning
process in accordance with the learning objectives.
2. In every meeting, Principals always remind teachers of the importance of achieving
school goals
No Statements
3. I know that Principal Work Plan refers to school goals
4. Principals always invite teachers to succeed the achievements of the Job Training
Program
5. Principals always evaluate the achievement of the Field Work Practices program
6. Principals make schedules for the targets to be achieved by the teachers
7. Principals always coordinate with parents
8. Principals communicate that it is necessary for teachers to succeed in school programs
supported by the Provincial Education Office
9. Principals invite teachers to participate in school collaboration programs with
companies
10. Principals always hold regular meetings with teachers
11. Principals always hold regular meetings with Education Personnel (Administrative,
Administrative, Cleaning, Security and Library Staff)
12. Principals always carry out supervision on a regular basis
13. Assessment of the teacher is in accordance with the results of the achieved works

Table 2
School Quality Improvement
No Statements
1. Schools always meet the needs based on teachers’ expectations
2. Schools always meet the needs based on students’ expectations
3. Schools always meet the needs based on expectations of the community around the
school
4. Schools have accommodated students’ selection who will conduct Field Work
Practices in companies
5. Schools always encourage teachers to obey the laws and regulations regarding the
education system
6. Every teacher has the same opportunity to develop themselves through Education and
Training
7. Schools always socialize their strategies to improve the quality of learning in each
meeting.
8. Schools already have a suggestion box to accommodate any complaints
9. In each meeting, every teacher can give advice and input openly
10. In every meeting, school policies are always socialized to improve the quality of
schools
11. Schools already have short, medium and long term planning documents to achieve the
quality
12. In each workspace, it is written the main tasks, functions and responsibilities of each
teacher
13. Schools already have a flowchart for implementing new student admissions until
student graduation
14. Each teacher is free to choose any learning method that can improve the quality of
learning
15. Schools allow students to create artistic and creative performances
 No Statements
16. At school, there is a diagram showing clarity of work directions and communication
vertically and horizontally
17. School strategy to be achieved is always socialized at meetings
18. In every meeting, there is clear evaluation criteria
19. In every meeting with parents, teachers always socialize that the schools always
improve the quality of education services
20. Every teacher has realized that continuous quality improvement is a must

The collected data from interviews were reviewed and compiled by compiling with the
information compiled from the results of focus group discussions. This information can be
used to determine the likelihood of answers given by each respondent as material for
objectivity analysis.
D. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Based on results of the interview with the LPMP party in DKI Jakarta, it is known that
all of the State SMK in Jakarta have implemented school quality assurance but, there are
obstacles in its implementation, namely low understanding on the importance of school
quality assurance and lack of commitment in its implementation. LPMP tries to initiate and
ensure schools to implement quality assurance program. However in its implementation at
schools, Principals serves as the driving sector having ability to direct all school stakeholders
so that they can commit in implementation of quality assurance program. Results of the
interview with Education Office section in DKI Jakarta state similar thing with the
information given by LPMP party. Assistance taken by the education office is conducted by
school supervision. Supervisors provide guidance, supervision, and performance appraisal to
the Principals and teachers. In the end, it is the Principal who has the authority and
responsibility directly to provide tasks and direction to school stakeholders to implement the
quality assurance program at school.
Principal serves a very important role in implementing school quality assurance
program. This is reinforced by results of an interview which state that Principal has tried to
lead the school to implement a quality assurance program through holding meetings with all
school stakeholders in order to discuss the learning process, examine any obstacles faced by
the teachers during the Teaching and Learning Process (KBM), evaluation of school program
achievement and also work targets work that must be done by the teachers. Principal also
often carries out supervision activities and also always monitors activities at school, both
learning and managerial. Teachers at State Vocational Schools in DKI Jakarta stated that the
implementation of the quality assurance program was influenced by the success of the
Principal leadership. Results of the interviews with teachers who stated that successful
Principal leadership, namely the Principal who always accommodated teachers’ aspirations
teachers, always carries out supervisory functions towards all school aspects, has clarity of
work direction, has ability to communicate vertically and horizontally, recognizes strength of
a reliable team, and is willing to work in teams. The statement is in accordance with the
opinion expressed by Wahjosumidjo (2011) stating that some characteristics of effective
leadership styles are leaders giving instructions to subordinates, leaders always supervise and
evaluate, and leaders convince subordinates that tasks must be completed properly.
State Vocational Schools in Jakarta are now implementing quality assurance schools,
because qualified principal leadership is also supported by the support given by the
Government of DKI Jakarta. This result was revealed from results of the interviews and focus
group discussions stating similar thing that Principal leadership in the effort to achieve quality
had been recognized, and other factors serving as a strength in implementing school quality
were adequate funding and facilities from the Government.
A good leader can determine targets with a balanced portion between the maximum
ability and demand, so that leaders are expected to be able to realize quality culture at schools
and can create quality schools. Principal role in achieving school quality includes its role as
educators, managers, administrators, supervisors , leader, innovator, and motivator (Mulyasa,
2013).

E. CONCLUSION

Based on the aforementioned explanation, it can be seen that Principal leadership plays
a role in the quality of State Vocational Schools in DKI Jakarta. School quality is influenced
by Principal leadership pattern, because he is the highest top leader at school and has the
authority to make decisions. The right Principal leadership has positive effects in setting goals
and achieving school quality. The role of principal in achieving school quality is as an
educator, manager, administrator, supervisor, leader, innovator, and motivator. Principals with
 their very complex roles are able to initiate, implement and maintain school success in
achieving quality education.

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